Incubator.



2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED NOV. 20, 1906. G. HACKER.

INOUBATOR. AIYPLIGATION FILED JIANJB, 1906.

THE Homers PETERS co., wAsHma'rorv, 1:. c4

PATENTED NOV. 20, 1906.

G. HACKER; INGUBATORL APPLICATION FILED JAN,16, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2v Mx/vvu miwalmim UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

INCUBATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 20, 1906.

A li ati fil d January 15 1906- Serial No. 296,128.

To to whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE HACKER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of St. Louis, Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Incubators, of which the follbwing is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement for incubators, and has for its object to provide means for covering and protecting the contents of a nursery-tray while the same is being withdrawn.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of an incubator embodying my invention, the incubator being cut away in vertical cross-section. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a nursery-tray embodying my invention. Fig. 3 is a vertical view in midsection of an incubator embodying my invention, showing the nursery-tray in place. Fig. 4 is a corresponding view showing the nursery-tray partlally withdrawn.

As shown in the drawings, I employ an outer housing or casing 5, wherein the eggtray 6 is slidably mounted. This egg-tray is of a depth sufficiently less than the depth of the housing to leave a considerable s ace in front of the tray when the tray is s id into position, through which space the chicks, attracted to the front of the incubator by the light, fall into the nursery-tray 7 The nursery-tray 7 consists of a four-sided receptacle 8 and cloth bottom 9. On each end of the nursery-tray 7 I have provided the curtain-rod 10, which is resilient in character and fastened at its upper end to the back of the nursery-tray 7 and its lower end to the bottom or end walls of the same. Upon the said rod the curtain 11 is slidably mounted-that is to say, the curtain 11 is provided with longitudinal openings at its ends by being stitched around or otherwise slidably secured upon the rod 10. The top of the curtain 11 is provided with a transverse bar 12.

The egg-tray 6 is slidably mounted upon the slats 13, which are nailed to the inner sides of the end walls of the incubator. A short distance beneath and parallel with the said slats 13 I have provided other parallel slats 14, which are secured to the same walls and in the same manner, and between the said slats 13 and 14 I have provided a sliding member 15, which is adapted to serve as a cover for the nursery-tray 7. The sliding member 15 is provided with one or more depending spring-catches 16, which are adapted to pull the said sliding member inwardly or outwardly when the nursery-tray 7 is withdrawn or replaced within the incubator.

Transversely across the bottom of the nursery-tray 7 and at a point about midway of its depth I have provided a curtain 17, which serves as a protection for the curtain 11 when the nursery-tray is being inserted I within the incubator.

The need which my invention is intended to fill is the protection of the young chicks from exposure to drafts when they are removed from the incubator to a brooder in the nursery-tray. Freshly-hatched chicks being delicate and peculiarly susceptible to cold, it has been necessary heretofore to cover the nursery-tray with a cloth upon the removing of same with its contents during the progress of a hatch. My invention is intended to cover the nursery-tray automatically during the process of removing it from the incubator to the end of protecting the chicks.

A further object of my'invention is to close the opening beneath the egg-tray when the nursery-tray is withdrawn, so as to prevent the young chicks from dropping into the open space beneath the egg-tray and being injured when the nursery-tray is replaced. In the incubators of the prior art frequent injury to chicks has arisen from the escape, of the chicks from the egg-tray into the bottom of the incubator while the nursery-tray was removed, the chicks thus escaped being caught and injured by the inner end of the nursery-tray upon its being replaced, 01 if the presence of such chicks in the bottom of the incubator was detected by the operator the chicks could only be removed before replacing the nursery-tray by withdrawing the egg-tray, and thus exposing the eggs from which the other chicks were hatching to drafts of air, and thus killing or crippling them within the shell, the opening inwhich the nursery-tray is inserted being too small to admit the operator to insert his arm to sufficient depth to reach and remove the chicks. To meet these needs, therefore, I have devised the mechanism which I have above described and which is illustrated in the drawings, and whose mode of operation. may be explained as follows:

The inner movement of the sliding member 15 is limited by the stop 18. Upon the nursery-tray being slid into position within the incubator the back wall of the nurserytray striking the spring-catch 16 will carry the sliding member 15 backwardly until it reaches the stop 18. When the sliding member 15 is caught and secured by the stop 18, the lower end of the spring 16 is deflected so as to escape from contact with the back wall of the nursery-tray 7, which is slid entirely within the incubator to occupy the position indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The bar 12, attached to the upper edge of the curtain 11, rests at its ends upon the curtainrods 10, and these rods being resilient the bar 12 is depressed upon them to pass underneath the bar 19, which extends transversely across the front of the incubator, so that when the hatching period is about to begin the nursery-tray 7 and the curtain 11 occupy the position indicated in Fig. 3, and as will be seen by reference to that figure a clear open space is provided in front of the egg-tray directly communicating with the nurserytray 7 and permitting the young chicks to drop therein.

When the desired number of chicks have been hatched and have descended into the nursery-tray 7, thenursery-tray 7 is pulled outwardly from the incubator, and the inner and upper edge of the curtain 11 being thus secured by the bar 12 against the inner face of the transverse bar 19 as the nursery-tray is pulled outwardly the curtain 11 is pulled upwardly upon the curtain-rods 10 in the manner indicated in Fig. 41, which shows the nursery-tray 7 almost completely withdrawn from the incubator. When the inner face of the back wall of the nursery-tray 7 is contacted with the spring-catches 16, the engagement is such as to permit the sliding member 15 to be withdrawn forwardly into the position indicated in Fig. 4 of the drawings, this forward movement being limited by the inner face of the transverse-bar 19. When the sliding member 15 has been drawn to this position, it will be seen that the space in front of the egg-tray 6 and communicating to the lower portion of the incubator is closed. The forward movement of the sliding member 15 having thus been terminated, the spring-catches 16 will be deflected outwardly by a further pull upon the nursery-tray 7 as said tray is completely withdrawn, and the nursery-tray 7 having been completely withdrawn the curtain 11 will be drawn back to the rear of the nursery-tray 7, so as to completely cover and close the top thereof and to protect the young chicks from exposure to the outer atmosphere.

When the nursery-tray has been emptied by the removal of the young chicks there from to a brooder, the nursery-tray 7 is again replaced within the incubator, and in the course of its replacement it carries the springcatches 16 and sliding member 15 backwardly until the sliding member 15 reaches the stop 18 in the manner heietofore described.

into the nursery-tray 7 by the backward movement of the sliding member 15.

The function of the depending curtain 17 is toprotect that portion of the curtain 11 which is beneath the nursery-tray 7 from being soiled by contact with the floor of the incubator or being prevented from sliding 4 freely upon the lower portion of the curtainrods 10 by reason of contacting with the floor of the incubator. When the nursery-tray 7 is in place within the incubator, the curtain 17 is in the position as shown in Fig. 3.

I claim 1. In an incubator, the combination of an egg-tray, a nursery-tray, a housing wherein said trays are mounted and having a passageway extending fro'rn the egg-tray to the nursery-tray, and means whereby the said passage-way is closed by the operation of removing the nursery-tray from the incubator, substantially as described.

2. In an incubator, the combination of an egg-tray, a nursery-tray, a housing wherein said trays are mounted and having a passageway extending from the egg-tray to the nursery-tray, means whereby the said passageway is closed by the operation of removing the nursery-tray from the incubator, a curtain slidably mounted upon the nurserytray, and means whereby said curtain is drawn over the top of said nursery-tray by the operation of the removal of said nurserytray from the incubator, substantially as described.

3. In an incubator, a nursery-tray, a curtain slidably mounted upon the nursery-tray, and means whereby said curtain is drawn over the top of said nursery-tray to close the same by the operation of the removal of said nursery-tray from the incubator, substantially as specified.

4. In an incubator, the combination of an egg-tray, a nursery-tray, a housing wherein said trays are mounted and having a passageway extending from the egg-tray to the nursery-tray, and means whereby the said passage-way is closed by the operation of removing the nursery-tray from the incubator, and opened by the operation of replacing the nursery-tray within the incubator, substantially as described.

5. In an incubator, the combination ofan egg-tray, a nursery-tray having a communieating passage-way extending to the eggmounted transversely upon the bottom of IO tray, means whereby the said communicatthe nursery-tray, substantially as described. ing passage-way is closed by the operation of In testimony whereof I have signed my removing the nursery-tray from the incuname to this specification in presence of two bator, a curtain slidably mounted upon the subscribing witnesses.

nursery-tray, means whereby said curtain is GEORGE HACKER. drawn. over the top of said nursery-tray by Witnesses: the operation of the removal of said nursery- ALFRED A. EICKS,

tray from the incubator, and a curtain WALTER O. STEIN. 

